Media release: September 20, 2005
New
international studies have provided graphic evidence of the health benefits of
bringing in faster and tighter indoor smoke bans in licensed venues.
An
article in the International Journal of Cancer*
says secondhand (passive) smoking significantly increases the risk of
developing nasal cancer and other cancers in children of parents who smoke.
Secondhand
smoke increases the risk of many diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular and
respiratory conditions as well as intellectual impairment. Health leaders point
out that children entering pubs and clubs are at heightened risk of this harm
because research has shown tobacco smoke toxins permeate buildings, including
“no-smoking” areas, even with strong ventilation systems.
Meanwhile
the immediate benefits of smoke bans on employee health have been highlighted in
a study from the Irish Republic – whose nationwide ban on smoking in all
workplaces has not only cleaned up the air in pubs and restaurants, it has also
improved the health of the people who work there.
The
study, presented to the European Respiratory Society meeting in Copenhagen**,
has shown that the Irish ban has reduced the airborne particulate matter in
pubs, and workers are breathing easier.
And
the Irish ban has not come at the expense of bar trade, says new data**
confirming other independent research. The Retail
Sales Index just published shows the value of sales in pubs is at its highest
level since January 2003, one year before the smoking ban came in.
Pub sales were falling before the smoking ban was introduced but are now
recovering.
The
SmokeFree Australia coalition of health and employee groups has called on all
Australian jurisdictions to put an end to slow, partial and loophole-ridden
indoor smoking bans in pubs and clubs.
“We
need to get on with what this research points to, and what the community clearly
wants,” says coalition co-ordinator Stafford Sanders: “clear and
comprehensive total indoor smoking bans covering all areas of licensed venues
– not complicated and unsafe exemptions for mostly-enclosed areas.
“Every
week the research grows more and more compelling. It shows strong smokefree
workplace laws lead to immediate health improvements; they protect our most
vulnerable citizens – the youngest, the poorest and the disabled; and they
lead to healthier and more broadly viable hospitality businesses.”
*
Hemminki K, Chen B. Parental lung cancer as predictor of cancer risks in
offspring: Clues about multiple routes of harmful influence? International
Journal of Cancer (2005; Aug 10); (Epub
ahead of print). DOI
:10.1002/ijc.21387
**
See reports at www.ashaust.org.au/SF'03/files/IrishUpdate0509.htm
Comment:
Stafford Sanders, SmokeFree Australia
ph. (02) 9334-1823
SmokeFree Australia coalition
for clean safe workplaces:
Liquor,
Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers’ Union; Musicians’ Union of Australia; Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance; Australian Council of
Trade Unions; Action on Smoking and Health Australia; The Cancer Council
Australia; National Heart Foundation of Australia; Australian Council on Smoking
and Health; Non-Smokers’ Movement of Australia; Australian Medical
Association; Asthma and Allergy Research Institute.